I work as a screenwriter for film & TV. In a former life I was a media specialist & campaign ad writer. Follow me on Twitter @MarkHughesFilms; add me on Google+; and read my question and answers about film, comics, and more on Quora.

Now, it’s time for me to lay out exactly what the film series would look like. So here it is, part 2 of how Warner Bros. could reboot Batman on film! (And don’t worry, I give my casting and design suggestions for Batman himself at the end.)

First, let me set the ground rules. No origin movie — Batman’s past is well known and it’s easy enough to simply use short flashbacks about the night his parents were killed. I’d start a new Batman series off with him already an established crime fighter in Gotham, with several years under his belt cleaning up the city. The series begins at the point where the “freaks” are about to start showing up. Batman feels pretty confident about his role and his abilities, so when we first meet him he’s a real pro at what he does, and I’d focus very much on Batman’s detective skills.

Another rule for this new series is that it must not ignore the popular illusionary realism Nolan established in the franchise, since most mainstream audiences are particularly drawn to the idea of a Batman whose world seems “possible” (even though of course it’s not really possible, it just pretends it is). So, Batman must keep one foot planted in the false sense of “realism” — but, on the other hand, there’s plenty of room to push the envelope and introduce much more fantastical elements into the series, to include Gothic sensibilities and go even farther with crazy villains and events in Gotham. I’d avoid going too far into fantasy and sci-fi, but push the illusionary realism it to the limits.

The final ground rule is to treat Batman like the James Bond series, so that when new filmmakers and actors step in to take over the films, they are simply asked not to directly contradict what happened in the previous films and to remember that “those events happened” in the past for these characters. The continuity can be lose, allowing plenty of creative control, but within a simple set of boundaries similar to what the Bond franchise uses, allowing the series to still attract top notch filmmakers and acting talent.

With those rules in mind, let’s look at some specifics.

Batman has probably the best rouges gallery of villains of any comic book character. There are so many great villains who haven’t been portrayed on film yet, or who deserve a new film adaptation. So I would refrain from introducing the Joker, Two-Face (although Harvey Dent would be a recurring character in the series as DA, before he eventually turns into a villain), Catwoman, Ra’s al Ghul, or Bane for a while, and focus on other villains for the first several films. What other villains? Glad you asked!

They should let this series demonstrate its uniqueness and its intention to push the envelop further, by starting off with a film about Hugo Strange and his Monster Men. Hugo Strange is, in case you aren’t aware, the villain Batman feels is the most dangerous man alive and the one who has been the most successful at breaking Batman psychologically. He is brilliant, he isn’t intimidated by Batman at all, and he would be the first true foe whom Batman can’t easily defeat. Strange is both a psychiatrist and geneticist, and he would be secretly conducting experiments on prisoners in Gotham to make them stronger and easy to control mentally. His “Monster Men” in this adaptation would include Killer Croc and Solomon Grundy.

Croc would be a large, powerful man who develops extremely thick, rough skin and an animalistic instinctive behavior, due to Strange’s genetic tests and use of sensory deprivation chambers to revert the man’s mind back to a primitive state. His teeth were already filed to fangs, as part of his gang membership, so his thick scaly skin and sharp teeth mixed with his “lizard brain” regression earn him the nick-name Killer Croc. Croc escapes from prison, and hides out at the Gotham docks and later is chased by Batman into the sewers. The image to the right is a bit more exaggerated than I’d use in the film, but it gets close to the idea of a large man genetically altered and with the sharp teeth to give him an added monstrous appearance.

Solomon Grundy is a man on whom Strange experiments using chemicals from the Caribbean that are part of the voodoo process for turning people into so-called “zombies” (this would be an exaggerated version of the real-life ingredients in the processes used in those rituals). Strange would be testing the limits of mental control and the loss of fear, pain, and self-awareness in humans. Grundy would be a mentally disturbed man who is made into a “zombie” of this sort, and then used to carry out killings for Hugo Strange. He is almost unstoppable, like a mindless robot. The mask to the right is a bit extreme, but is similar to what I’d suggest, but with white skin and stringy bits of hair.

Strange would also have a few other prisoners converted into deformed, mindless killers similar to the people infected with “rage virus” in the film 28 Days Later, for example. With Hugo Strange taking mob money and also using the prison and Arkham Asylum to steal test subjects, Batman gets on the case after some mobsters are found ripped to pieces and Batman’s DNA analysis of hair and skin at the crime scenes suggests bizarre genetic mutations in the attackers. Batman would find Killer Croc and chase him into the sewers, where Croc escapes. Then, Batman would have to fight Solomon Grundy, and follows Grundy back to Strange’s warehouse lab, at which point Strange unleashes his other deranged rage-fueled killers against Batman. Batman barely escapes, and Strange becomes interested in Batman’s physical and mental prowess, while Batman finds that his every attempt to track and capture Strange is easily rebuffed by the brilliant madman.

In the end, Strange would escape but Batman would stop the rampaging “Monster Men” (except Killer Croc, who remains at large somewhere in the sewers). Strange would turn up again as a supporting minor character in all of the films, increasingly obsessed with Batman, and serving as a police expert on Batman (because in these films, Batman is always technically a wanted criminal and chased by the cops, except for Gordon and a few others who trust Batman) while also appearing on Gotham news shows to give his professional opinion about Batman’s “mental problems.”

Hugo Strange would become the main villain again in a future film that adapts the Prey storyline, too. As a recurring character, he’d be a constant thorn in Batman’s side, and would establish the trend of keeping characters around to make Batman’s world feel bigger and more real. And I nominate Bryan Cranston (above, from Breaking Bad) to portray Hugo Strange. He is the absolute perfect choice for the role, and would turn this instantly into one of the best on-film Batman villains of all time.

I feel that would be a great start for a new Batman franchise, keeping things within a pseudo-realistic world but pushing the science of genetics into a wild realm that sends the signal that this new Batman is different from the Nolan incarnation. And I think fans of all stripes would love the way it plays out, not too far into pure extreme fantasy but not quite as restricted by the attempt to seem “too real” either. A nice balance, and a great adventure showcasing Batman’s detective skills.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.

I think these are all awesome ideas! I would definitely watch both of the tv shows you outline in part 1 of the article. I seriously hope someone takes these fantastic ideas and makes them a reality. If anything, the article/your ideas, made for an interesting read.

This is probably the best thought out idea of a Batman reboot I have read so far. I like how different it is, but the only problem I have with it is that good characters who have never been on the big screen have been left out like Nightwing, Batwoman, Hush, and Catman. However, I really enjoyed reading it and I hope Warner Bros takes some of your ideas into consideration. Nice

For what it’s worth, my long-term ideas for Robin would be to in fact have Dick Grayson as Robin for about three films, then have him leave and go off to become Nightwing. Then, the next film would have Batman take in Jason Todd to try and replace what he’s lost with Dick, but Jason would be killed off in the following film. I think it’s important for Batman’s arc that he first have a “son” who decides to leave, then tries to replace the son but that boy dies.

Note to the people who might’ve had comments deleted: Anyone who wants to disagree should do so like a grown-up, not an angry child. If you just act like you’re on some fanboy forum where bad behavior and attention-seeking is rewarded, you’ll just be deleted here. Keep it intelligent and mature, and stop trolling. Thanks.

These are all fantastic ideas. Well thought out. And Armie Hammer would age well in the role. I like the balance between realism and envelope-pushing. People praised Nolan for the realism, but I felt it was too much. These characters are larger than life. I felt they were too small in Nolan’s world, in his shots, etc. To that end, I wouldn’t mind seeing a Rodriquez/Frank Miller interpretation on the screen, though for marketing purposes it would have to be PG-13. Sin City the movie was great because it felt like a comic book on the screen. Your Batman idea could receive a treatment incorporating a quarter to half of that film’s style. More close-ups. Different angles. Lighting contrasts. In other words, more style than Nolan-verse. (I did like Nolan’s Dark Knight shot looking up at the Joker as the Batpod approaches. Larger than life, but it could be larger.) And MUCH slower-paced, too, at least a few slower-paced stretches. Nolan crammed in content and exposition and the cuts to the next scene were rapid-fire. On Bruce Wayne, you’re right, he’s gotta have swagger and cockiness but a good heart in public. In the cowl, I want to see a ruminating Batman, sometimes downtrodden, sometimes pensive. Confident and intelligent. I didn’t get confident or intelligent from Bale. Too intense. Forlorn. I want to hear more clue gathering, deducing. I want to hear more “hmmm”s. I like to hear Kevin Conroy expositing to Alfred, cocky to street thugs (without corny jokes), and yelling when he has to. I think Hammer could do that. I wanna see a zoomed in close-up of his mouth, framed by mask, as he smirks a bit. That’s a comic treatment. That’s what we see in the panels. My last request: The stakes don’t always have to be so high. Nuclear bomb in Dark Knight Rises? Too much. Villains are at their most believable when their motives and emotions are relatable. These guys just take it to extremes. Roman Sionis doesn’t hate Wayne: He LOATHES him. Freeze wants revenge. We want revenge in our lives. So they can target their one man or group, and it makes sense. Not the whole city, every time. Hell, I wouldn’t mind seeing Batman work his ass off the whole movie only to find out the only life at stake is Gordon’s, for example, gagged and tied up as Batman throws it down with Croc across the room. Because that’s what Batman does. He’s putting it all on the line, no matter the payoff, big or small. He collects the info, goes “hmmm,” snaps his fingers, gets beaten down, gets mad, and returns to kick ass.

Wow.that was a Very detailed & very interesting explanation on how to reboot batman.Love the idea for jim gordon.this wld be a Fantastic series of movie that wld bring batman on the screen a realistic but comic book feel.Great job Mr Hughes & thank you BOF for sharing this Article.Seriously hope WB listens to at least Half of your suggestons.Keep up the marvalous work & Long Live Batman.